A weekend hunting getaway ended in tragedy when 65-year-old Scot D. Thompson of Englewood, Florida, allegedly opened fire on his older brothers during a stay at a remote cabin in Western New York. According to the New York State Police, the victims—70-year-old Mark B. Thompson of Canterbury, Connecticut, and 69-year-old David E. Thompson of Port Charlotte, Florida—were fatally wounded by a rifle at the hunting cabin in the town of Allen, New York late Sunday evening.
Investigators say the three brothers had convened at the cabin in Allegany County, about 70 miles southeast of Buffalo, for a hunting trip after being somewhat estranged. A physical altercation broke out, one sibling dialed 911 for help, and shortly thereafter the gunfire erupted. The call came in just after 10 p.m. Sunday; law-enforcement arrived to find the two older brothers dead — one inside the cabin, the other in the doorway.
The younger brother, Scot, then fled the scene in his brother David’s vehicle—a red 2019 Dodge Ram—before being located by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and the Geneseo Police Department in the nearby village of Geneseo and taken into custody. According to police, alcohol appears to have played some role in the altercation, though they say the trigger remains unclear.
Scot Thompson has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree criminal use of a firearm. He is currently being held at the Allegany County Jail awaiting arraignment, and autopsies for the deceased brothers have been scheduled in Rochester.
Family members expressed shock amid the grief. A brother-in-law of David told reporters that Scot called David’s wife, Jane, shortly after the incident to apologize—“I just can’t believe it because I’ve hunted with all three of those guys,” he said. The parole of sibling rivalry, solitude in the woods, and the unexpected eruption of violence has left this tight–knit group of brothers and their wider family reeling. (Original article details supplied by the user integrated.)
This was meant to be a quiet reunion of sorts—three brothers, each now living separate lives in Florida and Connecticut, returning to their roots near Dansville, N.Y., where their family once lived. But what began as a weekend away ended in two lives lost, one brother charged, and questions that now have no good answers. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to piece together exactly what triggered the deadly escalation.
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